Repairing Malfoy Manor
by Kuroibara Kitty
Summary: Since the war, Draco and Narcissa have been living in the half-destroyed Manor. Until now... ***Disclaimer: The wonderful characters aren't mine. I am just playing with them, but I promise I'll put them back into the protective packaging later!***
1. Failed Assassination

**AN: Hello my pretties ^.^ I am back from a two year hiatus O.O Hiii =D  
>I hope you enjoy my re-written version of Repairing Malfoy Manor and I promise not to abandon you again :)<br>XoXoX  
>Kuroibara Kitty<strong>

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><p><span>Chapter 1<span>

**Failed Assassination**

It was just after sunrise as Draco began to stir. It had been a rough night, filled with nightmares of the war. He hadn't witnessed his fathers death but that didn't stop his imagination from filling in the gaps whilst he slept. He had brewed himself dreamless sleep potions during the five years since the war but he'd run out the night before and decided he'd try to sleep without one. He was regretting that decision.

Suddenly he heard a thump. Opening his eyes slowly, he looked towards the window from which the noise had come. There, a man was lying on the ground as if he'd just fallen in. With lightning speed, Draco was standing on the other side of the room with his wand in his hand, a fake version of him lying in his bed.

The figure on the floor slowly climbed to his feet with a groan. He carefully checked the fake-Draco to see if he'd awaken. When the man saw the sleeping illusion, he confidently walked up to the side of the bed, his wand pointing at fake-Draco.

Silently, the real Draco Malfoy crept up beside the man. He saw a faded dark mark protruding from a rolled up black sleeve and sighed inwardly. The remaining Death Eaters had been trying to assassinate him since the end of the war. This seemed to be an even more hopeless attempt than the last hundred or so.

He waited a few seconds for the fake-Draco to fade. It was only a temporary illusion and he wanted the man to realise his mistake before he was captured. The fake-Draco already seemed a bit more transparent and a few moments later the Death Eater noticed that something was wrong.

With a small 'poof' the illusion dissappeared and Draco immediately hit the man with a body binding curse. He sighed as he rolled the man over. He didn't recognise him but that didn't mean much. He hadn't known very many Death Eaters and he'd forgotten those he had met.

He walked over to the window and searched the grounds. They usually came alone but a few had come in small groups to try and get the upper hand. He didn't see anyone but he cast a quick protection spell before he believed he was safe. Turning around, he levitated the almost-assassain out of his bedroom door.

It took him moments to reach the next room, his study. He waved his wand and a spare cloak that he left on a hook in case of situations like this was immediately covering his bed clothes. He walked over to the fireplace and floated the man in before stepping in beside him. He threw some floo-powder down into the firplace and they were whisked off to the Ministry.

The guard seemed to be getting ready for a change in shifts as Draco walked over to the large desk. This had happened so many times that he knew the man quite well.

"Another one, eh Draco?"

"This one fell in as he was climbing through the window. He didn't stand a chance." Draco answered with a smile.

"They're getting worse!" The guard exclaimed as they transferred the spell so that the guard was levitating the stiff man instead. Draco followed the night guard to the elevators and they travelled up to the aurors offices.

Finally stopping outside the door labeled 'Shacklebolt', Draco knocked. Kingsley was always in before dawn so the two men weren't surprised as the door opened in answer to their knock. The night guard levitated the Death Eater into the office and Draco followed them.

The legal proceedings took a few minutes and then the guard left with the newly dubbed prisioner in tow. Draco got up to follow them but was interrupted before he reached the door.

"Just wait a minute, Draco. I'd like to talk to you about something." Kingsley said.

The blonde turned around and studied the auror closely. This hadn't happened before and he was mildly surprised. Settling back down into the chair he'd only just left, he waited for the other man to explain himself.

"The minister has agreed to allow me to send a group of aurors to the manor to begin repairing the damage that was done during the final battle. I was told that I needed to get permission from you first, so all you need to do is say the word and I will dispatch a team."

"Why? Why _now_?" The blonde was confused.

"Well, with the destruction that was caused by You-Know-Who spread out over the whole wizarding world it has been hard to convince the minister that one private manor was important enough to use up our much needed resources. I'm only allowed to do this now because I'm using my own aurors and not members of other departments."

Draco smiled. He and his mother had been living in the eastern wing of his once great manor. Before the final battle that part of the house had been the guest quarters, so it was filled with bedrooms and bathrooms. It and the kitchens, which were underground, were the only rooms that hadn't been destroyed.

"My mother and I would be honoured to be thought of as important enough to deserve this wonderful service. Of course I give my permission for you to help me fix up the manor."

"Wonderful," Kingsley emphasized this with a small clap of his hands, "I will send a group over at midday so they can begin straight away. I'll organise the local inn to house them so that they will have no need to apparate."

"They could stay at the manor. We have plenty of spare bedrooms. In fact it would fill the house up a little. Even just the eastern wing is very big for two people." Draco suggested.

"Ah, good! That would be much easier, especially on my budget. You'll have to feed them too, though. I will send a group of five aurors later today." The other man said.

"Thank you so much Kingsley. You really don't know how much this will mean to me, and even more to my mother. She hasn't really been the same since the war. Our lives changed a lot, and this will return at least some part of our past." Draco said with a grateful smile.

"I am very glad to help you. After all, if your father hadn't been a spy for our side and you hadn't led the aurors and Order members in to Malfoy Manor, we would never have been able to catch You-Know-Who by surprise." When Draco didn't say anything, Kingsley continued.

"I'm very sorry that you lost your father when You-Know-Who finally found out that he was our spy. He was a good man, and didn't deserve what happened to him."

Draco left soon afterwards and was back in his study in no time. Glancing at the clock on his wall, he ditched his cloak and headed straight down to breakfast. As soon as he entered the dining hall he was greeted by a disapproving look from his mother.

"You didn't deem breakfast worthy enough to change for, Draco? Did you sleep in, or did something happen?" Narcissa Malfoy inquired calmly.

"Another Death Eater climbed in through the window this morning." Her son explained.

Narcissa laughed. It was a clear bell-like sound that Draco loved hearing. It cheered him up easily enough and he was smiling when he settled down to breakfast and informed her of Kingsley's plan.

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><p><strong>AN: I hope you enjoyed it ^.^ It's not too different, but I feel it is improved :)<br>The next chapter will be up soon =D  
>XoXoX<br>Kuroibara Kitty**


	2. Repairmen & Woman

**AN: I'm updating these first few quickly, be proud ^.^  
>XoXoX<br>Kuroibara Kitty  
><strong>

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><p><span>Chapter 2<span>

**Repairmen... And Woman  
><strong>

Draco was in his study when a house elf appeared next to him. The small creature informed him that there were five people at the door before disappearing. He hurried down to the front door as fast as he could, knowing it would be the aurors that Kingsley promised.

His mother appeared in the doorway of a small sitting room close to the entrance way when she heard him. She watched curiously as he opened the door then stopped in surprise.

"Weasley?" Draco's voice went a little higher than normal in shock as he recognised the tall red-haired man. "What on earth are you doing here?"

Draco stepped aside as the man stepped through his front door. He turned his head slightly and saw that his mother had disappeared back into her sitting room before focusing on the door again. He watched as three more men and a woman entered his home. However, it was the last person to enter who really caught his attention as bright green eyes captured his.

"Kingsley did tell you that we'd be coming, didn't he?" Weasley asked the blonde.

"Yeah, but I didn't know that it would be _you_!" His last word emphasised with surprise. Now that he paid attention, he recognised the others from his hogwarts days as well. Ron Weasley, Dean Thomas, Blaise Zabini, Luna Lovegood and, of course, Harry Potter.

Blaise stepped forward and shook his hand, smiling widely.

"Long time no see, Draco." The man said happily.

"You became an auror? You work with these people?" He gestured at the others. "What happened to you after the war, Blaise?" A questioning tone in his voice.

"Well, as you know, I never was fond of the idea of serving a half-crazed evil bastard, and when Harry here," at this he nodded to the black-haired man, "defeated You-Know-Who, I was finally able to admit to my parents that I wanted to be an auror. These are my grad mates from auror training, so of course I'm grouped with them."

Luna Lovegood stepped forward and politely held out her hand. Draco nodded to her as he took the offered hand. Instead of shaking it, however, he bowed and kissed her knuckles. She smiled as a small blush changed the colour of her cheeks, then stepped back and allowed Blaise to continue his conversation.

"Anyway, I suppose you know that we are here to fix the manor?" He turned to Weasley and directed his next question to him. "Should we get started?"

"Are you the boss, Weasley?" Draco asked.

"Call me Ron, and yeah, I am." The other man answered shortly, almost rude.

Potter cut off any reply that Draco could have made as he stepped forward, glaring slightly at his tall friend. He held his hand out and Draco was cruely reminded of eleven years beforehand when he'd done the same thing and Potter had rejected him.

Putting aside those thoughts, he hesitantly took his now former enemy's hand. He looked into those sparkling green eyes as the other man smiled warmly.

"Draco." Harry greeted simply. In truth, it was one of the most complicated things he could have said. Never before had the other man said his given name without some kind of anger or even hatred behind it.

"Po-Ha-Harry..." He answered with a small amount of difficulty.

Harry nodded as if confirming a question Draco had asked before turning away. Just before their eyes lost contact, the blonde thought he saw something else in Harry's eyes. The other man mustn't have thought that he would accept this as easily as he had.

"Shall we get started then?" Weasley - No, _Ron_ - asked.

Draco nodded and started walking. As expected, the group of aurors followed him. It took a few minutes to reach the second floor bedrooms. His mother stayed on the first floor, whereas Draco had his bedroom and study on the third floor.

"You can choose any room on this floor." Draco said to the group. "If you pick your rooms now, then we can have lunch and start work afterwards. I was thinking that the former entrance hall would be a good place to start."

The others agreed and Luna moved instantly to the closest door. She walked in and closed it behind her. The others followed suit once Ron had nodded his assent. He noted which doors each auror took and waited as they all checked out their temporary homes.

When the men were back, Dean Thomas knocked on Luna's door. She came out slowly, obviously still the dreamy girl she'd been in school. Dean reached for her hand to lead her away from the room and Draco realised that they must be a couple. His face held a small half-smile as he turned around and began to walk back the way they'd come.

They reached the dining room to find Narcissa already there. She smiled warmly and motioned to the chairs around her when the aurors stopped in the doorway. Luna immediately took the chair next to her and Dean sat on the other side of Luna. Draco sat across from his mother and Blaise settled to his right. Ron sat two chairs down on the other side of Draco and Harry politely filled the gap between them, giving Ron another small glare.

"Welcome to our home!" Narcissa said brightly to her nervous guests.

Blaise and Luna replied with happy "Thank you"s and quickly began a conversation. Draco fought to keep himself from laughing out loud as he realised that it was the 'brave' Gryffindors that seemed slightly intimidated by his mother.

He shook his head to himself as the house elves came in to serve their lunch.

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><p><strong>AN: The third chapter shall be up soon as well :)<br>Please review, it'll make me work faster ^.^  
>XoXoX<br>Kuroibara Kitty  
><strong>


	3. Preferences  Sexual Preferences

**AN: Another chapter for you~  
>Please enjoy~<br>XoXoX  
>Kuroibara Kitty<strong>

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><p><span>Chapter 3<span>

**Preferences - Sexual Preferences**

A few minutes after lunch had been served, Draco was distracted from Blaise by a whispered conversation going on to his left. Pretending to listen to Blaise, his full attention was really on the Gryffindors beside him.

"... really think that it was true?" Weasley - _Ron_,he corrected himself again - was asking his dark haired friend.

"Of course I do, I saw it with my own eyes." Harry answered.

"But it could have been an illusion or something like that, couldn't it?" This interested Draco and he listened harder as the red-haired man lowered his voice further. "We knew that he was his right-hand man. You-Know-Who might have known that he was going to die and he could have pretended to kill him so that he could resurrect him."

Draco began to get an ominous feeling about who they were talking about. His suspicions were confirmed when he heard Harry's answer.

"Again? Voldemort can not be bought back again. I destroyed all of the horcruxes and, anyway, Lucius Malfoy was our spy. He was actually very easy to get along with when I got to meet him privately. Whatever family predjudices you hold against him, you need to let them go and just accept that you were wrong about him. You need to accept Draco too."

The blonde was shocked. He didn't catch any more of the arguement as he quickly focused on Blaise again. The other man didn't seem to have noticed his lack of attention.

"... and the Death Eater dived on Lune. You should have seen Dean's face. After we caught the guy we had to hold Dean back because he noticed that Lune had a small scratch on her palm and started yelling obscenities. The cut wasn't even from the fight! It was hilarious." Draco laughed along with Blaise and Luna. Dean just looked at his plate, embarrased.

"Well, I guess that's what love does to a man." Draco answered, smiling at Dean. The other man instantly smiled warmly back at him. Obviously most people had teased him about being so protective and he was appreciative that someone finally didn't.

"Oh, and you would know Draco?" Blaise quickly countered.

"Yeah, I don't see a Mrs. Draco Malfoy anywhere." Dean joined in on the jest.

Draco just laughed, not bothering to reply. Unfortunately his mother didn't realise that this was his intention and answered the aurors for him.

"It would have to be a Mr. Draco Malfoy." She smirked.

This caught the attention of everyone around the table. Even Harry and Ron had stopped whispering and tuned in. Not a single person missed exactly what she meant.

"You're gay?" Luna asked. Her voice sounded so loud in the dead silence that had followed his mothers words. They all even seemed to have stopped eating. Because of this, Draco could not avoid answering.

"Yeah..." It looked as though it was his turn to feel embarrased.

"Well there goes your surprise, Harry." Ron piped up. This was not what anyone had expected the red-haired man to say. Harry looked mortified and he shook his head violently at Ron, his emerald eyes wide.

"What do you mean? Is the famous saviour of the wizarding world, no, the whole world, homosexual?" Narcissa inquired, dumbfounded.

Harry didn't answer. Ron didn't seem to care that his best friend was trying to kill him with a murderous glare, and continued for him.

"A circle would be classified as straighter than Harry Potter. If he was a nail, he'd be so bent that he'd break with the first blow of the , he's definitely gay." As soon as he finished, he looked at Harry. A silent message seemed to pass between them and Harry visibly relaxed, letting out a sigh of relief. Draco figured that Ron could have continued and given away another bit of information. He wanted to know what that was but he let it go.

"I guess we've both been outed now, hey Potter?" He said with a wink.

Brilliant green eyes met his. "I guess so. Oh, and my name is Harry."

Smiling, Draco just nodded his agreement. He tried to imagine what it could have been that Ron had left out. Maybe Harry had a boyfriend and just hadn't told anyone yet? Maybe he had a crush? Or maybe it was something completely different.

Whatever it was, Draco shoved it to the back of his mind as he realised that fresh conversation had started up around the table. This time Harry and Ron had joined in rather than continuing their own private argument.

Another auror story was being told, by Dean this time. The others added bits of information whenever needed, which seemed to be quite a lot. It was loud considering that there was only seven people around the table. It sounded more like twenty.

Draco wasn't used to being surrounded by people. It had just been he and his mother for so long and even before the war his family had always socialised with cold hearted pure blood families who never conversed so roudily. He was surprised at how comfortable he felt.

Examining the people around him, he smiled and joined the conversation.

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><p><strong>AN: To jessirose85, Hermione is on her way! She comes in during Chapter 7 I believe ^.^<br>You know the drill, please review ^.^  
>XoXoX<br>Kuroibara Kitty**


	4. Getting Started

**AN: Here is the fourth chapter for you... They're finally getting to work! ^.^  
>XoXoX<br>Kuroibara Kitty**

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><p><span>Chapter 4<span>

**Getting Started**

After lunch they went straight to work. Ron rounded up the aurors and Draco took them out the front door which had once been a side door. Now it was the only door left to enter the house by. They walked out to a courtyard, then on to the gardens.

Hedges lined the path they walked, as high as Draco's hip, and every so often there would be an opening that led into a different area. Narcissa had put a lot of effort into restoring the gardens after the war and they were even more beautiful than before. Each separate area had a different theme, but Draco's favourite was the 'Sugar' garden at the back of the house.

Finally, the small group reached an open parking area with an enormous fountain in the centre. A drive way led up to it, but their attention was on what used to be a house. The stone walls still stood, although they were cracked and blackened by fire. There was a large rectangular hole where a huge oak door used to be. The group walked through the empty doorway and Blaise gasped, completely shocked.

"What the hell happened in here?" Blaise asked as he looked around. The entire hall had black walls, even though they'd been pure white before the war. Any piece of furniture was now grey ash that covered the wooden floors. Small patches that showed through the ash were burnt even blacker than the walls. Picture frames still hung on the walls, but their inhabitants had joined the furniture on the floor.

"I don't know." The blonde answered. "The aurors and the Order wouldn't let me onto the property after I got them through the wards, so I didn't see anything. When it was all over, this is what I came home to."

"It's a good thing you weren't here." A soft voice spoke up.

The group all looked around at who had spoken. Harry was surveying the hall with a grim look on his face and it reminded them all that he had been here when it, whatever _it_ was, had taken place. He had witnessed, and survived, whatever had done this.

"What do you mean, Harry?" Ron asked his friend. A simple enough question, but it took Harry a few moments before he answered.

"If any of you _had_ been here... Well, you wouldn't be here now. You wouldn't be seeing this. Not that it's pretty... but, be thankful that this is all you'll ever get to see of the final battle."

Nobody said anything in answer, but there wasn't really anything they could say to that kind of proclamation. Every person in the group had known multiple people who had died in this room during that final stand against the Death Eaters.

Finally Luna broke the silence. "We should get started."

Her words caused Ron to snap back to reality and he realised that he was in charge. Clearing his throat, he glanced around one more time as he decided where to start.

"Okay, Dean and Luna! You guys can start with sweeping spells to collect the ashes into piles. Once the pile is big enough, scourify and start on a new one. Umm... Harry, can you work on getting the frames down? Blaise, you and I will clean this soot off of the walls. If you find cracks, fill them with the spell Kingsley taught us. We'll fix them properly later." Each auror moved off straight away to start their assigned tasks, but Draco followed Ron.

"What should I do?" He asked when the red head ignored him. Ron looked him up and down, then over at Harry.

"Go let Harry know what kind of spells are keeping those frames up, even though they should be ash like the paintings that they housed." Draco nodded and moved away. He saw a small smile flicker over Rons face before his back was turned though.

"Damn him, enjoying ordering me around..." The blonde grumbled to himself.

He reached Harry and heard the man murmering. Draco realised that he'd been trying to uncover what protective spells were on them and shook his head, smiling.

"You'll never get them off... My father put strong sheilding spells on them so that no one would be able to take down the portraits. They were valuable pictures. Some of my oldest ancestors were in these frames."

"Do you know how to release these sheilds?" Harry asked.

"Of course. I'm glad the frames weren't damaged. We'll easily be able to get new landscapes put in them for the inhabitants." Draco mused.

"So they survived?" Harry inquired.

"MmmHmm... Every one of them are crowding in other frames over in the guest quarters. Well, I guess I should call it the main house..." He moved towards the frame Harry stood in front of and motioned for the other man to watch him closely. He first said a couple of counters to the sheilding spells, then another to release one of the sticking charms. He cast a levitating spell on it and then a counter spell for the last sticking charm.

Harry watched him lower it and lean it against the wall before laughing. "That certainly was a lot of protection. They were some strong sheilds and sticking charms and I've never even heard of one of the counters you used. These frames were definitely well protected. Now I'll have to see if I can remember all of that."

They moved towards the next frame and Draco stood back to watch Harry perform the spells he'd just used. The other man pulled it off flawlessly and Draco gave him a one-man applause as he turn and beamed.

"Perfect on the first go." Draco said, smiling back.

They moved on to the next two, taking down one each. Once Draco knew that Harry could do it perfectly every time, he stopped worrying about the expensive frames. They worked together for about 15 minutes before stopping for a break.

"Half of them done in 15 minutes. Not bad." Harry stated, looking around.

"Yeah, I guess. You know, I never noticed how many pictures were in this hall before. I mean, I know that almost all of my ancestors have a portrait somewhere in the house, but seriously." He made his point by waving his arms around.

"You have too many relatives." Harry agreed.

They quickly cleaned off a small part of the floor and wall and sat against it, watching the others as they continued to work.

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><p><strong>AN: This will probably be the last chapter for tonight, darlings~<br>I do hope you are enjoying the beginnings of my story.  
>I promise to update sooooon ^.^<br>In the meantime, please review =D  
>XoXoX<br>Kuroibara Kitty**


	5. Apologies

**AN: I fell asleep at 1:30am after editing my existing chapters and writing the complete outline or RMM... Not it is 7:14am and I am already awake O.O  
>Stupid body clock .<strong>  
><strong>However, here it is! The next chapter just for you ^.^<strong>  
><strong>XoXoX<strong>  
><strong>Kuroibara Kitty<strong>

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><p><span>Chapter 5<span>

**Apologies**

Draco was watching Luna scourify away a large pile of ashes as he sighed. It was hard to believe how beautiful this hall had been before the war. He shook his head as he thought about the furniture that Luna must be magically removing right now.

"Something wrong?" Harry asked.

Draco looked at him as if he was stupid. "Of course there is something wrong. Look at my house! Luna just stepped in a pile of ashes that used to be a leather lounge. Dean is sweeping up the smashed remains of one of the chandeliers. Oh, and of course, I'm sitting where we used to have stage for if we invited a band or string quartet to play for a party."

Harry smiled at him. "Yeah, but at least something is happening to fix it now. It's great that they finally decided to do something." He said simply. Draco had to agree with him.

"Yeah, thanks for this by the way. I don't think I said it earlier, but this is the best thing to happen to me in a long time." The blonde said quietly.

"Don't thank me. It was Kingsley who organised it." Harry answered.

"Are you kidding? You are the one to thank for me even being alive right now. I never got a chance to say it earlier, but you were amazing in the final battle. I know how difficult it must have been for you. Everything must have been so hard. I am so sorry for being such a jerk throughout school."

Harry didn't speak for a few moments, processing what he'd just heard.

"That is the last thing I ever expected to hear you say..." He said slowly as he regained his composure. Draco laughed at him.

"I'm also sorry for ever insulting Hagrid." He said, serious again.

Again Harry was shocked. This time he didn't answer at all. His eyes glazed over and Draco knew that he was remembering what had happened to Hagrid.

When Draco had snuck everyone in for the final battle, the half-giant had been with the group of attackers. After the battle, Draco hadn't seen him anywhere. He'd later found out what had happened, and hated it.

You-Know-Who had found out about his father being a spy after using legilmens on one of the invading aurors. He had aimed his wand at Lucius and shouted one of the darkest curses ever created. It turned your skin inside out on your body and, although that caused unimaginable pain, it didn't kill the victim. Hagrid had seen You-Know-Who's wand and jumped in front of the curse before it hit Lucius.

Draco remembered seeing them levitating his large unconcious form through the manor gates after the final battle was over. The worst thing about it was that only Voldemort and his father had known the counter curse. No one could undo the dark magic.

"Dumbledore is still trying to figure out the counter curse for it." Harry said so quietly that Draco wasn't sure he even heard it. He must have been thinking along exactly the same lines as the blonde had been.

"Yeah, I know. I'm truly sorry that I still haven't found my dad's journal. It must have been destroyed along with his study... The counter curse would have been in there..."

Harry shook his head. "It's not your fault. Why are you apologising so much? There is no need for it. Especially not what happened to Hagrid."

"Is he still in St. Mungo's?" Draco asked. All he got was a nod in answer, as Harry sunk back into his own thoughts. They stayed quiet for a while and Draco studied Harry's thoughtful face. Suddenly the other man looked up at him.

"I'm sorry too, Draco. For your father, and for rejecting you that first day on the train. I'm sorry that I never got to know you. I'm sorry that I took so long to kill Voldemort. Maybe, if I'd been faster, he would never have found out about your father being a spy. Maybe your dad would have survived if I'd just killed Voldemort sooner."

This time it was Draco's turn to shake his head. "No way! That was not your fault!"  
>"But I could have <em>saved<em> him!" Harry said.

"No, you couldn't have. I may not know exactly what happened, but I do know that my father died almost before the battle began. You-Know-Who found out about him being a spy as soon as those aurors were inside the manor."

"I could have! I just _know_ it. I could have stopped so many deaths! If only I'd been a little_ faster_! I might have even stopped _this_ - this destruction from happening!" He emphasised his point by waving his arms around wildly.

Without thinking, Draco grabbed the other man's arms and held them down. He wasn't sure when he had moved to be in front of Harry, but he was now crouched in front of the other man. He looked deeply into those green eyes and shook his head.

"Harry Potter, it is not _your _fault that this war happened. You did everything you could and guess what? You _saved _the wizarding world! All of the death, the destruction... it was all caused by _him_, by... by... _Voldemort_!" Draco spat the name with venom.

Harry's eyes searched his face closely and Draco noticed that they were wet, as if he was close to crying. Draco decided then and there that he hated that look in those normally beautiful, bright green eyes. He never wanted to see it again.

"You could not have done anything more than you did." Draco said clearly, not allowing Harry any time to disagree before continuing. "They died because You-Know-Who was an evil bastard. This happened because you finally put a stop to him. You killed him! You did better than anyone else and you couldn't have done any more than that."

Harry opened his mouth as if to argue again, but Draco put his hand over his lips, holding them still, before shaking his head again.

"You did everything that you could, Harry." He finished. He saw something else come over those green eyes and he removed his hand. Finally trusting that Harry had begun to realise the truth, he stood and offered his hand to help the other man up.

As he was pulled to his feet, Harry gave him a small smile and whispered "Thanks."

"What for?" Draco asked.

"Sometimes I lose it when I think about the war. I don't know what did it, but I saw something in your eyes. I'm not sure what it was, and I'm sorry if this sounds weird, but I liked it." Harry stated, looking at his shoes to avoid Draco's eyes.

Draco smiled at him and felt a fluttery feeling in his stomach. He gulped whatever it was down and looked around the hall. The other hadn't even noticed the altercation.

"We should keep working." Draco said, nodding towards the others. They had gotten more done than Draco had realised. Harry nodded and moved off towards the next frame on the wall. Draco followed him and they resumed their work.

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><p><strong>AN: Thought I'd add in a little mistake I made when editing this... After writing Draco's long speech to Harry, I accidentally wrote this sentence "All of the death, the destruction... it was all caused by <em>him<em>, by... by... Pennsylvania"**  
><strong>I accidentally hit ctrl+v rather than shift+v when beginning to write Voldemort's name... So it pasted Pennsylvania ^.^' Hence, I have decided that Pennsylvanian's are the real villain in the Harry Potter series! .<strong>  
><strong>Anyway, hope you enjoyed it ^.^<strong>  
><strong>XoXoX<strong>  
><strong>Kuroibara Kitty<strong>


	6. Unfriendly Friends & Unhoused Portraits

**AN: Here is more~**  
><strong>I hope you're all glad to know that I'm writing more as I'm posting these ^.^<strong>  
><strong>This story might be finished in the next couple of days O.O<strong>  
><strong>Enjoy~<strong>  
><strong>XoXoX<strong>  
><strong>Kuroibara Kitty<strong>

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><p><span>Chapter 6<span>

**Unfriendly Friends and Unhoused Portraits**

Draco took down the last frame and looked around the large hall. Two of the white walls were completely clean and about half of the ash on the floor was gone. Draco saw Harry go over to help Dean and Luna, but Draco decided to ask Ron what he should do. He walked over to the red head and tapped him on the shoulder.

"What do _you_ want?" Ron turned and snarled at him. Draco took a quick step backwards, trying to avoid being hit in the face by the tall man's shoulder.

Draco just raised an eyebrow at him.

"Well?" Ron asked, his face as red as a stunning spell.

"What's your problem?" Draco snapped back.

"You are!" Ron snapped loudly.

"What the hell have I done?" The blonde was totally confused. Until now, he thought he might actually be getting along with the aurors. He wasn't so sure anymore. He saw Blaise step forward, grabbing Ron's arm. At the same time, Harry, Dean and Luna appeared beside Draco.

"What's going on?" Harry asked calmly. He either didn't notice or was ignoring the tension that sizzled in the air. Blaise, Dean and Luna would later be heard to say that they could see the lightning bolts in the air around them.

"Ask your psycho friend!" Draco exclaimed, pointing at Ron. The taller man just continued to glare viciously.

"Ron?" Harry looked at his best friend, suspicion bright in his eyes. Draco momentarily wondered if he knew something about this, but he pushed the thought to the back of his mind as he waited for Ron to answer

"Don't worry about it." Ron's voice still held its bite, but he seemed to have given up on attacking Draco now. The blonde still had no idea what was happening, but it seemed as if he wasn't going to find out as the red haired man turned away.

Harry grabbed Draco's arm and moved to the other side of the hall. The blonde still looked shocked as they reached the other side of the room, Luna and Dean with them. Blaise stayed with Ron.

"Care to explain?" Draco asked as they all looked over to the other men. Blaise was trying to talk to Ron, but he seemed to be getting brushed off.

"Ron is just a little... touchy about the whole 'helping Malfoy' thing." Dean answered. He didn't even have the courtesy to look embarrased.

"The 'helping Malfoy' thing?" Draco raised a perfectly sculpted eyebrow at him. Dean just smiled and shrugged his shoulders.

"He still hates you." Harry added, calm again. When he received a look from the blonde, he explained. "His father always hated your father, even after we found out that he was on _our_ side in the war. That hate was passed on to all of the Weasley children. It was even stronger for Ron as you strengthened it by everything you did to us during school. I doubt that he'll forgive you very easily. He's doing this because he was told to, the rest of us want to. I think that's why Kingsley set him up as the leader. He wants Ron to grow up a little."

Draco sighed. "How am I meant to make up for all of the stuff that I did at school? Will it even be _possible_?" He didn't think it was.

"You mean, you want to?" Harry looked mildly shocked. So did Dean and Luna.

"Of course I do! I'm a different person now to what I was back then. I no longer have to pretend or hide behind the fake Malfoy image." Draco had such a sincere look on his face that it was hard to think he was lying.

"Well... I guess you're just going to have to prove that to him." Harry said.

"_How_ though?" He seriously didn't think it was possible.

Harry looked over toward Ron again, thinking about Draco's chances of winning his friendship, or something close to friendship at least. The chances were definitely slim.

"It'll be pretty hard but with me helping you anything is possible. After all, I am the boy who lived." Harry said with a bright smile.

"You'll help me?" Draco asked.

"Of course I will. There is this disease I have called 'Being A Hero' and its really hard to ignore the impulses it gives me." He said. Draco smiled at the other man, a little surprised but happy now, knowing he had support from someone other than his mother.

"Thanks." He said.

"However, the first thing we have to do," Harry said quickly, "is finish cleaning up this hall. Could it be much bigger?"

"Yes." Draco answered.

Harry looked quizzical. "What?"

"Yes. It could be bigger." Draco stated, matter-of-factly.

"It was a retorical question." Harry said with a small laugh.

"Oh..." The blonde replied.

Harry laughed at him, then told Dean and Luna that they should continue cleaning away the ashes that still covered the floor. Ron and Blaise had also gotten back to work and it seemed as though Ron had settled down.

"Come with me." Harry ordered the blonde as he headed across the hall and walked straight out the front door. Or front _hole_ really.

"Where are we going?" Draco asked.

"We are going to go and ask the occupants of the paintings that were destroyed what landscapes they want to live in. Then you are going to find the best artist in the wizarding world and get all of those landscapes painted for them!"

Draco nodded happily as they walked along the garden path. He glanced in to each opening they passed, admiring his mother's handiwork.

"Thanks." He said after a bit of thought.

"For what?" Harry asked.

"For helping me." Draco smiled again.

Harry just nodded in answer.

They entered the living quarters of the house and Draco led the other man up to the fourth floor. The occupants of the paintings from the destroyed parts of the house had all moved in to the frames up here by the request of Draco and Narcissa. The two had gotten sick of the endless squabbling between unhoused occupants and the ones that were meant to be there. They crowded the original portraits, but at least no one had to listen to their complaints.

"Umm... How should we do this?" Draco asked.

"How about we get all of the ones that need new landscapes to come to the frames down this end of the hallway and the others can move to the other end for now. Once we finish asking about the landscapes, they can go wherever they want." Harry suggested.

Draco nodded his agreement and cleared his throat. "Err... can all of you who were originally hung in the hall move down to this end of the hallway!" He called. "Everyone else, can you move further down the hall for now?"

Every painted face turned in his direction. None of them looked very agreeable. This thought was proven as the paintings all began to shout their opinion. Harry pointed his wand to his throat and muttered a spell.

"Quiet!" His amplified voice shouted. The cacophony stopped.

He explained what was happening and, with relief, Draco watched the occupants of each painting separate. He stood to the side as Harry got each painting to line up.

"Now we are going to get your 'name' and a description of the landscapes you each want. We also want to know which frame you were in. That way, we will be able to begin moving you all back in to your own frames." Harry explained calmly, easily keeping order.

The paintings met this news with polite applause and the men began talking to each painting one by one. They both wrote a separate list to make sure there was no mistakes. It took them over an hour to talk to every painting, but they were quite pleased with themselves once they were finished.

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><p><strong>AN: Please review, it makes me feel so happy when you do ^.^<strong>  
><strong>XoXoX<strong>  
><strong>Kuroibara Kitty<strong>


	7. Dinner

**AN: So as I was writing Chapter Nine I was sitting on my couch with my blanket, my hair is tied up messily and I was eating chocolate ice cream.**  
><strong>This is my busy life ^.^ Haha<strong>  
><strong>Anyway, enjoy the next chapter :)<strong>  
><strong>XoXoX<strong>  
><strong>Kuroibara Kitty<strong>

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><p><span>Chapter 7<span>

**Dinner**

Draco had sent the list of landscapes they wanted to one of the most famous wizarding artists in the world before they headed down to dinner. They were early, so they watched the house elves setting the table for a few minutes before Harry went to get the other aurors.

Draco decided to go and get his mother, rather then send one of the elves to do it. He headed down the hall to her sitting room. He knocked on the door politely and waited. Once he heard an affermative answer from the other side of the door, he walked in. His mother was sitting in a pure white leather armchair that faced the door.

"Yes, Draco?" Narcissa asked when she saw her son.

"I wanted to let you know what progress we've made today." He said, continuing with a quick explanation but shiftily leaving out the arguement with Ron. It only took him a few minutes.

"I would like to see the hall. What it used to look like is only a faded memory nowadays." His mother said, a hint of sorrow in her voice.

"When we finish cleaning it out tomorrow, I will come and take you out there myself. However, right now I believe it is time for dinner." He informed her. She smiled at him and took his arm proudly as he helped her stand and led her out into the corridor.

Light grey walls passed as they walked down the corridor to the dining room. The aurors were there already and were seated in the same spots as they had been at lunch. Draco smiled when he noticed that they again looked a little nervous around his mother.

Draco led Narcissa over to the chair she'd sat in earlier that day and pulled it out for her. She graciously sat as he pushed it back in for her.

Walking around the table, he sat between Harry and Blaise again. He smiled at both men and called to the house elves to serve dinner. Conversation around the table started easily.

A few minutes later that he noticed an uncomfortable look on his mother's face. She was looking at Luna as the other woman smiled dreamily.

"- shouldn't eat it. The Epstistance is poisonous." The woman informed Narcissa, who looked quite confused.

"Of couse, Lune." Dean butted in. "Narcissa thanks you for telling her..." Dean gave Narcissa a look until she added a quickly muttered, "Thanks."

"She's like that." Blaise said to Narcissa, shrugging. The older woman raised her eyebrows towards her son before smiling at Blaise. She still looked a little confused but had now regained her composure.

The group settled into normal conversation again, chatting happily as if nothing else had ever happened between them. Even Ron was comfortable, although it was hard to tell if he'd actually calmed down or was just hiding his previous anger.

Draco ate a couple of forkfuls of food before he felt a tug on his robes. He looked down into the large grey eyes of one of his house elves.

"Gipin is to tell Master that someone is at the door." The small creature informed him.

Nodding, the blonde excused himself from the table and headed out into the hall. He walked down the corridor wondering who on earth would be visiting, especially at this time of night. As he reached the door and pulled it open, he was shocked to see his guest. A woman with bushy brown hair pushed past him and looked around.

"Er... Is there something you want, Granger?" He asked the woman.

"Where is Ron? Oh, god. I'm going to kill him!" She spat quickly as she turned. When she saw Draco she stopped. It seemed as if she'd only just noticed that he was there.

Without speaking, Draco pointed down the hall. He didn't think about the fact that she had no idea where he was pointing until she put her hands on her hips and gave him a 'Are-you-kidding-or-really-that-dumb' look.

He moved off, not envying the red haired wizard one bit. As he entered the dining room, he shot the red head a warning look. It wasn't understood until his companion entered the room behind him, however. The other man paled visibly.

"RONALD WEASLEY!" The woman screeched. Ron stood and backed off a little. Even with his added height, he seemed to shrink under her gaze.

"Y-yes, dear?" He asked feebly.

"WE NEED TO TALK! NOW!" She glared.

Harry looked between his two friends, then at Draco, before he jumped up. He ushered Ron out the door and grabbed Hermione's hand. Dragging her out, he shut the dining room door behind them. Those who were still around the table could hear muffled yells through the thick door but they faded and Draco correctly guessed that Harry had moved the two away.

"Err... Is that a common occurence?" Draco asked the room.

Shrugging, the other aurors went back to eating. Obviously it was. His mother looked at him and nodded towards the door, almost as if to say 'Are you going to find out what that was all about?' Draco shook his head and took his seat.

After a few minutes, Draco called the house elves. He asked them to set another place and serve another lot of food for Granger. They obliged, putting it across from Ron, two seats down from his mother. The group waited in silence for the three adults to return.

Hermione was still fuming slightly when they entered, but was much quieter then before. Harry and Ron took their previous seats and Hermione walked up behind Draco. He stood, turning to her with a questioning look.

"I'm very sorry for barging in to your home like that." She said shortly.

"That's okay," He smiled tentatively at her. "I wanted to know if you would care to join us for dinner?" This put a shocked expression on the woman's face.

"I wouldn't want to impose." She excused herself, before she noticed the extra setting at the table. Regaining her control with expert speed, she smiled weakly back at him.

"On the other hand, it would be lovely to sit down at a real table and eat a proper meal for once this month." She added.

Draco nodded and, on impulse, grabbed her arm as he'd held his mothers not long ago. Ignoring the looks he was getting, he led her around the table and pulled out her chair for her. Her eyebrows were raised beyond her hairline as she took the seat.

There was an awkward silence in the air as he moved back to his own seat. However, he ignored it and began talking to Blaise straight away. Narcissa, Dean and Luna picked up the cue and began talking as well. The others sat in silence for a few minutes before they begun to eat. There was an approving look on Hermione's face as she tasted the food.

"This is delicious!" She exclaimed. Draco smiled at her proclamation.

"Yes, but you'll have to say that to the elves. They're the ones that made it." He said.

"House elves?" The woman had a glint in her eye that Draco didn't quite like. He noticed the other aurors shaking their heads, exasperated. Dean sent him a 'Look what you've done now' expression and Blaise looked at him with pity.

"Yes, I employ elves..." He said nervously.

Hermione's eyes just about popped out of her head, before she opened her mouth to begin what Draco knew would have been an ear-aching lecture. However, Harry interrupted her before she could speak.

"He doesn't treat them like slaves, 'Mione." The ebony haired man said. Her gaze strayed from Draco momentarily to re-focus on Harry.

"Oh, so how does he treat them then?" Her voice was raised and a slightly higher pitch than usual as she gave her friend an incredilous look.

"They are paid 2 galleons a week and have Saturdays off." Draco answered her quickly. She returned her attention to him immediately. He saw the woman calm almost instantly. Slight disapproval was still evident on her face, though. As she looked around, Draco wondered if she was searching for the elves.

"I would like to talk to one, thank you." Hermione said.

The blonde smiled calmly at her and called Gipin, the elf that had let him know when Hermione had arrived. He introduced the elf to Hermione and watched her as she got him to sit on the chair between her and Narcissa. Draco laughed quietly to himself as she began to interrogate the poor thing. He shook his head and conversation resumed around the table.

He was surprised that the woman didn't seem uncomfortable in his home and he kept an eye on her as she talked to his elf. He didn't want her to try and convince Gipin to leave the manor. He was Draco's favourite elf.

He joined the conversation on quidditch that the men around the table had fallen in to as Luna was telling Narcissa about some dress robes she'd seen, all the time keeping an eye on the witch and his house elf.

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><p><strong>AN: Another chapter will be up in a couple of hours~<strong>  
><strong>XoXoX<strong>  
><strong>Kuroibara Kitty<strong>


	8. Secret Conversations Shouldn't Be Heard

**AN: Enjoy, my pretties ^.^**  
><strong>XoXoX<strong>  
><strong>Kuroibara Kitty<strong>

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><p><span>Chapter 8<span>

**Secret Conversations Shouldn't Be Heard**

It was late. Their cutlery was down by their plates and everyone was sitting and chatting as the first few people began to yawn. Narcissa had already headed to bed and everyone else was beginning to feel they should too.  
>"I'll take you up to your rooms." Draco said and most of the aurors nodded assent. As they all stood, Draco turned towards the door. However, he was interrupted by a small cough.<p>

"Sorry, but I really must be heading home." Hermione said with a smile. "If you wouldn't mind, I would like to take my fiance outside and speak to him before he goes to bed." Draco smiled back as he nodded.

"Of course I wouldn't mind." He said as he looked towards Ron, observing the slight nervousness on the red-head's face. Hermione just grabbed his hand and dragged him out of the room. By the time the others got in the hall, the two had disappeared.  
>They walked quietly up to the second floor and Draco bid them all a good night as they entered their rooms. Harry sent him a small smile as he closed his bedroom door. Draco smiled back before he turned and headed down to the first floor.<p>

He went to his mother's bedroom first, peeking in to check that she was settled. He saw a smile on her sleeping face and closed the door softly, content that she was okay. He walked slowly back toward the dining room, seeing the elves clearing the table as he walked past in the direction of the front door.

Unsure if Hermione and Ron were out in the courtyard, he only opened the door a small gap and listened outside. He couldn't hear anything, so he stepped out into the cool air of the night. Assuming the quarrelling lovers had gone to the front gate to talk, he began walking down the garden paths, admiring each area.  
>It wasn't long before Draco began to hear faint voices. Realising that they were heading towards him, he ducked into the 'Red' themed garden and hid behind a bush of red roses. The strange thing about this bush was that the leaves were red as well.<p>

"... just happens like that." He began to hear Hermione's voice as she and Ron got closer to his hiding place. He ducked even lower, nervous that they would see him.  
>"I know, 'Mione, but... I just... I can't believe it's him of all people." Ron answered.<br>"Harry is allowed to like whoever he wants to, Ronald. Truthfully, I am ecstatic. They both deserve each other and you, Harry's best friend, are the only one who cannot see it." The woman scolded gently.  
>"But why <em>him<em>?" A sigh escaped the man's lips.

"Because he's gorgeous, because he's a gentleman, because he's a really nice person and because Harry wants to!" Hermione said with finallity.

"Gosh, why don't you go and date the man. Look, darling, I promise that I'll..." Ron had begun to say as his voice faded.

Draco considered following them. What they were talking about must have been the little detail that Ron had left out during lunch. He had guessed right, it was about someone Harry liked. Perhaps they were already together?  
>Having given the two enough time to go ahead, Draco began to walk along the same path they'd taken. As he approached the house, he saw their silhouette's against the front window. They had stopped in the courtyard.<br>He crept closer but all he heard was the sound of a kiss and the words "good night" as Hermione turned and walked away. Ron watched her go before he entered the house. Draco gave them both a few minutes before he followed the red head inside.

The hall was already empty so he headed up the stairs. Just as he reached the second floor he heard a door close and knew that Ron had gone to bed. He continued upwards to the third floor and along to his study.

Mulling things over in his head, Draco wondered who this mystery person could be. Was it another auror? Could Harry Potter have fallen in love with Blaise perhaps? He knew it couldn't be Ron or Dean as Hermione had spoken as if Harry had a chance of getting with this person and they were taken. Thanks to Ron, Draco also knew it must be a male.

Maybe it wasn't part of the group. Perhaps it was Kingsley? It could even be the Minister of Magic himself. For all Draco knew, this man could be anyone.

The blonde sighed and headed to his bedroom instead. After changing and settling in, he cast a fresh repelling charm on all of his windows and drank a bottle of dreamless sleep potion. It wasn't long before he had drifted off.

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><p><strong>AN: So this was relatively short compared to my other chapters...<strong>  
><strong>I actually have up to Chapter Thirteen written ^.^ And I'm going to start Chapter Fourteen soon :)<strong>  
><strong>However, I hope for some more review love before I update ^.^ *hinthint*<strong>  
><strong>Please review!<strong>  
><strong>XoXoX<strong>  
><strong>Kuroibara Kitty<strong>


	9. A Clean Hall

**AN: One chapter for today ^.^**  
><strong>XoXoX<strong>  
><strong>Kuroibara Kitty<strong>

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><p><span>Chapter 9<span>

**A Clean Hall**

The sun was high in the sky as Draco began to stir. He felt groggy from over-sleeping and struggled to get himself out of bed. Checking the time, he knew he'd missed breakfast.

He went into his ensuite for a shower and got dressed quickly. He brushed his teeth, combed his hair and then, as an after-thought, through on a little bit of cologne. As he stepped out of the bathroom he wondered why he'd done that.

He rushed down to the first floor and saw that the dining room was empty. Figuring that the aurors had gone out to continue working, he headed down to the kitchens. They were underground, accessed by a secret door in the dining room.

As soon as he appeared in the door the house elves started fussing over him.

"Oh, Mister Malfoy, you slept in. Gipin was worried you wouldn't eat. Gipin is glad you have come down for food, sir." The elf said as he rushed to Draco's side. Draco smiled at the elves around him.

"Resa has Mister Malfoy's breakfast ready, sir." Another elf spoke up.

"It is over here, sir." A couple of voices echoed as the elves grabbed his hands and led him to a small table. He sat down, plates of food spread out in front of him.

"This is great, guys." Draco said, smiling.

The elves beamed back at the compliment. They moved back to allow the man to eat, some staying nearby in case he requested anything. As soon as he asked for a drink, two elves rushed off and returned minutes later with a steaming hot coffee balanced carefully on a tray.

"Thank you." Draco said after he was finished.  
>The elves immediately jumped to attention and began clearing plates, cutlery and the coffee mug. Draco stood and moved out of their way. As he walked towards the exit, he thanked them again and they all bowed.<p>

Leaving the house and wandering through the garden paths, Draco headed around towards the parking area and the front of the house. He could see the aurors through the doorway. As he approached he noticed something different inside.

It was obvious as soon as he stepped in through the hole. The entrance hall was completely clean. The wooden floors were ash-less and the singed bits had been restored with a spell. The walls were pure white once again, including the spaces where the portaits had been hung. The only obvious damage was that the front door was still missing.

He observed the hall happily, a smile taking over his features. The empty frames were still leaning against the walls, waiting for their inhabitants before they were hung, but everything was spotless. Draco clapped his hands to draw the attention of the others.

"This is amazing." He said as he stopped clapping. The aurors walked towards him, their faces lit up at his enthusiasm.

"You slept in." Harry observe as he reached the other man.

"Yeah, sorry about that. I wish I had been here to help. You guys have done a fantastic job. This really looks... well... just how it used to. I mean, lacking the furniture and stuff like that, but still..." Draco admired his surroundings.

"I'm glad you like it." Blaise said.

"We're still not done, though." Ron continued.

"Yeah, this is only a small part of the house." Dean concluded.

"Progress is still progess, silly men." Luna said, shaking her head.

"It certainly is progress." Draco said, agreeing with Luna. "Would you all mind waiting just a few minutes? I want to go and get my mother and show her this. She wanted to see it." The others nodded agreement and Draco turned and walked out the door.

As he reached the entrance to the house, Draco realised that he would soon start having to think of it as the guest quarters. With a smile on his face he entered and headed straight for his mother's sitting room. He knocked on the door and entered once she'd called to him.

"Mother, the entrance hall is finished. Would you like to come and see?" He asked as he entered the room.

"Why, yes, darling." Narcissa said, voice filled with happiness.

Draco walked to her side and helped her to her feet. He led her out of the room and down the hall once again, her hand on his arm. They walked out and through the gardens, his mother making a small comment about needing to tend to some of them. It didn't take them long to reach the parking area and the entrance hall.

As Narcissa stepped into the hall, her face lit up. Draco knew it had been a long time since she had walked through that doorway. The last time she had seen it, the place had been in ruins. It was now looking similar to its former grand self.

"This is beautiful." Narcissa said. The aurors bowed their heads at the compliment.

"I'm glad you like it, ma'am." Dean said timidly.

"I love it. Thank you all so much... You will never know how much this means to me." Narcissa continued. "You have done brilliantly."

The group of aurors shone with pride long after she had returned to her sitting room.

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><p><strong>AN: Please feed me reviews and you'll get more story ^.^<strong>  
><strong>XoXoX<strong>  
><strong>Kuroibara Kitty<strong>


	10. Misplaced Hands

**AN: Sorry, I have been distracted with coursework and Terraria . But here is chapter ten ^.^**  
><strong>XoXoX<strong>  
><strong>Kuroibara Kitty<strong>

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><p><span>Chapter 10<span>

**Misplaced Hands**

It had been a week since the entrance hall was completed and the aurors had work quickly and efficiently. Almost the entire first floor was sorted out and some of the furniture had managed to be salvaged from some of the smaller rooms that hadn't been directly affected by the battle. Work was coming along nicely.

Narcissa visited at least once per day, proud of every bit of progress they made. Draco was leading her around when she suggested dinner in the gardens.

"I think we should celebrate, Draco. Tonight we are eating in the gardens. I will tell the House Elves which garden to set the dining area in and they will let you know once they are done." She said to him.

"Of course, mother. That sounds fantastic." The man said.

After she left he found the aurors gathered in what used to be a bathroom. He told them about dinner in the gardens and they agreed before getting back to work. Tiles were cracked and there was a blood stain in the bath tub. A rattling noise could also be heard from the cabinet.

Dean and Luna were using repairo on each broken tile while Blaise was attempting to charm away the blood. Ron and Harry were inspecting the cupboard. Draco joined them.

"What do you think it is?" The blonde asked.

"I have no idea." Ron answered with a furrowed brow.

"Maybe it's a boggart?" Harry questioned.

"How would a boggart get in here?" Ron asked.

"The Death Eaters thought it would be a good practical joke...?" Harry suggested with a hint of a smile on his lips.

"Suuure." Draco said with a slight laugh.

"You never know." Ron said. "They were evil. Who else would leave a boggart in your bathroom cabinet? Wanna open it and see what it is?"

The three of them stepped back and Harry pointed his wand at the cupboard. Immediately a cold chill swept past them, making everyone in the room look around. Draco stepped forward and the huge cloaked figured stopped moving toward Harry.

Suddenly Narcissa Malfoy's dead body was on the ground, her eyes glassy and her clothes covered in blood. Draco's eyes widened. He had never faced a boggart before, but he knew what to do. He raised his wand but before he could say anything, Ron stepped forward. The boggart turned into a giant spider and Ron yelled the incantation.

Roller skates appearing on each of the spider's eight legs, it started rolling around wildly. It couldn't control itself and crashed down to the floor. The others began to laugh at it and Harry stepped forward again. As the dementor appeared, he too yelled the spell. This time it was a dementor that crashed to the ground as it tripped over it's robes.

The robes flipped up as the creature fell and under them a skinny dead body was revealed. Everyone cracked up as they saw that it was wearing pink boxer shorts with love hearts covering them. The boggart disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"That was brilliant, Harry." Ron laughed. His laugh was cut off in shock as a house elf appeared before them.

"Sorry to shock you, mister." The small elf said to Ron. "Fi was sent to tell the misters and the miss that dinner is ready in the 'Purple' garden. I is to bring you there."

"It's okay, Fi." Draco said with a smile. "I will lead them there. You can go."

Fi bowed deeply and disappeared as suddenly as she had appeared. Draco headed out the door and the aurors followed close behind. The 'Purple' garden was very close to this part of the house and they exited through a small side door.

As soon as they found the area they were looking for, the aurors understood the name of this garden. All of the plants around it either had purple flowers or purple leaves. There was a table set in the middle and the table cloth was a brilliant violet, just like the cushions on each seat that surrounded it.

Everyone settled into a chair, little up by purple flickering light that came from candles that floated above them. The magic flame was a gorgeous colour. The cutlery was a metallic lilac and the plates were light purple with dark purple designs.

"This is a very pretty garden." Luna said dreamily. "I like the colours."

"It is one of my mother's favourites." Draco said. A cough sounded behind him and he stood to greet Narcissa as she entered the area. He led her to his chair, pulling it out for her.

"I am glad you all came and I do hope you like my landscaping." Narcissa said with a small smile. "I thought that we could celebrate your success with the restoration of the main house. I hope this area is not too... feminine for you men." Her bell-like laugh sounded.

Harry shook his head and told her he loved it as Draco sat back down in the seat to his left. The food was already on the table, as well as a bottle of wine sitting on ice.

"This wine was brewed here in England. By Severus Snape himself." Draco informed the aurors as he poured it in each of their glasses.

They all complimented the wine as they sipped it and Draco settled back down in his chair. He reached to place the bottle back in the ice just as Harry went to pick up his glass and their hands brushed against each other. Draco felt a spark and almost dropped the bottle in surprise. He quickly placed it down and withdrew his hand, feeling a warm blush creeping up his cheeks for unknown reasons.

Harry looked at him and smiled. "By the way... I really like the cologne you've been wearing."

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><p><strong>AN: Hope you enjoyed it ^.^ Then next chapter was my favourite to write so far ^.^<strong>  
><strong>It will be up tomorrow ^.^<strong>  
><strong>XoXoX<strong>  
><strong>Kuroibara Kitty<strong>


	11. Sugar

**AN: This was my absolute favourite chapter to write. I hope you all like it ^.^  
>XoXoX<br>Kuroibara Kitty**

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><p><span>Chapter 11<span>

**Sugar**

Dinner was over and as the group dissipated, Draco decided to go and visit the 'Sugar' garden. He wandered past the hip-high hedges until he reached his destination and entered the beautiful area.

The special thing about the 'Sugar' garden was what grew on its trees. The apple trees were actually toffee apple trees, the strawberries grew with sugar covering them and there was a chocolate bush. These magical plants would always be Draco's favourite.

He settled down next to the strawberries and chocolate, picking off one of each and taking the time to savour them both. He was able to push all thoughts away, just relaxing within the sweet surroundings. Until he heard voices, of course.

"... sick of your moping, you know? Like, you'll smile at him and he'll smile back and you'll be all happy... but if you don't see him for a couple of hours you'll be all down. It's as if being happy depends on him smiling at you." Draco heard Ron's voice.

"Oh, sure Ron. I'm not that dependant." Harry's voice answered.

"But you are. You don't even realise." Ron accused.

"I'm not!" Harry answered.

"You are. Admit it. Hermione thinks it's adorable. Heck, even I can confess that it's kind of romantic in a way... but you know how I am with that stuff." Ron said.

"Yeah." Harry laughed a little.

"You know, you should just tell the bloke how you feel." Ron told the other man.

"Oh, I'm sure that'd go over well. He'd probably freak out. Call me a loser. Tell me to leave him alone. How do you think that would be a good idea?" Harry said sadly.

"Look, all you can do is try, mate. No matter what his answer is at least you'll know. There won't be any more 'What if's floating around your head because you'll know the truth. Both me and 'Mione think you have a good chance, so just go for it." Ron coaxed.

"But... what if he says no?" Harry asked timidly.

"Don't think like that. He won't say no. No one can resist Harry Potter. You're the boy who bloody well lived. You're the saviour of the wizarding world. You're irresistable! All the ladies want you... not that you want them... but you get my meaning." Ron ended this rant with a laugh.

"Oh, shut up Ron." Harry sighed. Draco could just picture him rolling his eyes.

"Well, I'm heading to bed, mate. You coming inside?" Ron asked.

"Nah, I'm going to stay out here a little bit longer. Maybe investigate some of these gardens. Maybe pick an apple or something." Harry said.

"Alrighty. See you later." Ron's voice faded as he said this and he was soon gone.

The next moment foot steps seemed to be coming closer. Draco sighed, wishing people would stop walking towards his hiding spots after he eavesdropped on their conversations. Not that he was actually hiding this time, but he didn't want Harry to think he had been.

He saw the man enter the 'Sugar' garden a few seconds later. Harry was looking at his feet as he walked, completely distracted and not noticing Draco's presence. He wandered unknowingly towards the other man and Draco heard him mutter something.

The next moment, Harry flopped down on his back. The man sighed, staring up at the sky. Draco was taken by the forlorness of the figure in the grass. The moonlight lit his pale skin, making it seem as if he glowed. His eyes sparkled.

Taking a handful of sugar coated strawberries, Draco moved toward the other man. He wasn't sure what to say, but he settled cross-legged above Harry's head. Sparkling green eyes widened in shock as they noticed they had company.

"Hey." Draco stated simply.

"Hi." Harry answered.

"What's up?" He asked, leaning over the boy and gazing into his captivating eyes.

"Umm... nothing. What's up with you?" Harry countered.

"Ha, I overheard you talking to Ron. Want a strawberry?" Draco asked with a smirk.

"Sure. What exactly did you hear?" The ebony haired man asked, lifting his arm to take the strawberry. Draco ignored his hand, however, placing the strawberry in the man's partially open mouth.

"Mmm..." Harry sounded surprised.

"Bite." Draco ordered, still holding the green leaves at the top of the strawberry. Harry did as he was told, staring into mercury eyes the whole time.

"That's delicious." He finally said as he swallowed.

"I know. Anyway, I heard Ron teasing you about a crush. So, am I allowed to know who it is that has captured the heart of our... how did he put it... our saviour of the wizarding world? Our boy who lived? Our irresistable woman-magnet?" Draco laughed as he said the last one. Harry just blinked up at him.

"Oh, come on... I thought we were becoming friends?" Draco questioned.

"We are." Harry said with a smile and sat up. Draco had to lean back to avoid their heads bumping into each other.

"Tell me then." Draco requested with a smile.

"I think I'm going to bed." Harry said, ignoring the request. He turned and walked away and Draco watched every step. As he reached the exit to the 'Sugar' garden he turned and looked back, winking at the blonde.

"Good night, Draco." He said before leaving.

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><p><strong>AN: Please review, it makes me happy ^.^<br>XoXoX  
>Kuroibara Kitty<strong>


	12. A Little Jealousy, A Little Rejection

**AN: Thank you so much for the reviews, they are highlighting my days ^.^  
>To Anakaraya Ravenclaw, I know right? xD I love the sugar garden O.O I want it O.O and I hope it's Draco too... What if Harry is in love with some other guy? =[<br>To MischeviousCuriosity, Thank you so much ^.^ It is for you that Chapter Twelve is going up today.  
>I hope you like it, guys =D<br>XoXoX  
>Kuroibara Kitty<strong>

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><p><span>Chapter 12<span>

**A Little Jealousy, A Little Rejection**

Another week had passed and the group were on the second floor of the main house, repairing some of the broken furniture in one of the bedrooms. Most of this floor had also been burnt black like the first, but some rooms had escaped the main onslaught. Even these had still been trashed, though.

"I wouldn't be surprised if there had been a brawl in here." Ron stated as they worked.

"There probably was." Harry confirmed.

"Did they forget they had wands?" Dean asked.

"Some of them seemed to. Or they'd be disarmed and just jump at the other person. It got quite wild. With some it was as if they'd forgotten what they were fighting for and they were just hell bent on destroying everything around them." Harry said firmly.

Draco certainly had no trouble believing that, judging on the state of the rooms they'd been in lately. Part of him wished he'd been here to try and stop it. Another part heeded Harry's previous words that if he had been here he probably wouldn't have survived to see the aftermath.

A tiny cough sounded behind him and Draco turned to see a house elf.

"Pippy is here to tell the Mister Malfoy that there is a person in the park for cars who wants to see him, sir. He says he is here to deliver." She squeaked, embarrassed.

"Thank you, Pippy. Let this man know that I will be there in just a moment and then you can go back to the kitchens." Draco said. The elf curtsied and disappeared.

"I wonder if that's the paintings." Harry said.

"Oh, it could be. I hadn't even thought of that." Draco replied happily. He headed towards the door and noticed that Harry followed him. The others stayed, continuing work.

"If it is the landscapes you'll need a hand." Harry answered simply when Draco raised a questioning eyebrow at him. The blonde nodded his agreement and they continued in silence.

As they reached the entrance hall, the two saw a figure standing in the doorway. The doors were still waiting to be replaced. They both headed towards the young man.

He was fit, with a tan and neatly combed black hair. He flashed a smile as he saw them but when he looked at Harry he winked. A reddish tinge appeared on Harry's cheeks along with an embarrassed smile, but otherwise he didn't respond.

"Good morning, Mr. Malfoy." The man said, stepping forward and shaking his hand.

"Good morning." Draco responded, a question in his voice. The man got the hint and quickly jumped in to explaining himself.

"My name is Fredrick and I am Guinevere's assistant. I am here to deliever some of your landscapes. You ordered quite a few so we thought we'd send you the first half for now and bring the rest later." He finished, flashing another smile. He directed it at Harry, though.

"Ah, thank you. Well show us where they are and then you can go. We will sort the paintings out." Draco said shortly.

"Oh, I can help you bring them in and sort-" Fredrick began.

"No thank you." Draco said, his voice sounding final. Fredrick got the hint although he didn't know what had caused the minor hostility. He turned and motioned for the two men to follow him outside. Two cases of rolled up scrolls were in the parking area.

"Here are your paintings. Miss Guinevere wanted me to tell you that she doesn't expect the payment until she has finished the rest. It's is against policy but she says she trusts you, apparently." Fredrick explained.

"Thank you, and thank Guinevere for me." Draco replied

"I shall." Fredrick said, shaking Draco's hand again. He then moved towards Harry and shook his hand as well. As their hands separated, Draco saw a slip of parchment in Harry's grasp. The man looked at it for a second with a smile on his face, before looking up at Fredrick.

"Sorry." Harry said, handing back the parchment.

"That's okay. Good day." Fredrick said, keeping his smile. He turned and left.

"What was that?" Draco asked once he was gone.

"His full name with a note at the bottom saying 'Your owl will know where to go'." Harry answered with a shrug.

"Why did you turn him down?" Draco asked.

"I'm looking for a specific type of person and he's not it." Harry said calmly.

"What is your specific type of person?" Draco asked playfully.

"Special." Harry answered simply, walking toward the cases. "Let's get started."

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><p><strong>AN: Special ^.^ More is not far away, I hope you're enjoying it ^.^<br>XoXoX  
>Kuroibara Kitty<strong>


	13. Tell Me

**AN: I'm glad you liked that little Harry-might-like-another-man scene, and I hope you like this one even more ^.^  
>XoXoX<br>Kuroibara Kitty**

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><p><span>Chapter 13<span>

**Tell Me**

They bought the cases into the entrance hall and began unpacking the scrolls. Each had a small description of what it was written on the back, so they could tell without unwravelling them. They found their lists and went around, placing each scroll with the frame that it was intended to go in. Fredrick had been correct, there was about half of the order there.

"Should we start putting them in the frames?" Harry asked once they'd sorted them out.

"I suppose so. Do you know the spell?" Draco questioned.

"Yeah. Strangely enough, we learnt it in auror training. Not because it was part of the curriculum, but because Kingsley got a couple of paintings put up along the department's walls and decided we should be the ones to do it." Harry said with a laugh.

Draco laughed with him as he moved towards the first painting. Harry moved to the one next to him. They cast the spell simultaneously and both pictures were in their frames.

"Should we hang them at the same time or go through and do this first then hang them afterwards?" Harry asked.

"Probably both at the same time. Will save us having to walk around the whole hall twice, I guess. Will probably be quicker as well." Draco answered calmly.

They pointed their wands at their respective paintings and both muttered 'wingardium leviosa' so the frames began to float. They positioned them on the wall, said a sticking spell then released their levitating charm. After examining their work, they turned toward each other.

"Looks good?" Harry asked.

"Looks good." Draco confirmed.

They continued around the hall, hanging the pictures that were there and leaving the still empty frames in their places. It took them about half an hour, but eventually they were done. They sat down on the floor next to each other, backs against the white wall.

"Harry..." Draco started timidly.

"Yes, Draco?" The black-haired man questioned.

"I was wondering... I mean, I know you don't like thinking about it... But I was wondering... would you tell me a little bit about what happened here? I know it's not pleasant to remember and you don't have to if you really don't want to... I just... well... mainly about my father, I suppose. I just want to know what went on. What caused this... this-" Draco gushed it all out, stopping suddenly as he realised that he was ranting.

"This what?" Harry asked.

"This destruction." Draco finished.

Harry looked thoughtful. Draco wondered exactly what it was that the man could see in his memories. Yes, he was glad that he'd been spared the horror of the final battle, but he was still curious. Knowing what happened to his father might even help him move on.

"Like I said upstairs, it was wild." Harry began. "People were everywhere, throwing spells around like it didn't matter what they hit. People had forgotten their wands, there were fist fights. It seemed as if some people forgot what side they were on. I saw two Death Eaters punching each other in that corner." He pointed as he said it.

"I tried to ignore everything." He continued. "My objective was to get to Voldemort and Nagini. You know, your father killed the snake. She was Voldemort's second last horcrux, besides me... Lucius figured it out and killed her right in front of him. Voldemort had already realised the truth, that your dad was a spy. He hadn't been planning to act on it until after the battle, though. He was just going to punish your dad..." Harry trailed off.

"Go on." Draco coaxed.

"That's when he sent that curse that Hagrid intercepted." Harry said after a pause. "Hagrid saw Lucius kill Nagini and knew what was about to happen and just threw himself in front of him. He roared with the pain... it was the loudest thing I've ever heard. Your father pointed his wand at Hagrid, as if he was going to reverse the spell. But then a flash of green light just blinded everyone and next thing we knew your dad was dead." He paused again. His eyes were wet.

"Voldemort turned his wand on me next. I knew what was coming. I knew our wands weren't brothers anymore so I was just waiting to die... But the elder wand was mine so it didn't want to kill it's rightful owner, I guess. I kind of died, but it turned out he just killed his own final horcrux. Amusing, in a way. Voldemort sent out the fire that caused this when he realised what had happened." Harry had a grim smile on his face as he said this.

"That's when I turned my wand on him. I yelled the words. I killed the Voldemort. The battle was over. Well, technically. But people don't listen to technicalities. The Death Eaters kept fighting, the aurors continued to capture them and your mother got me out of there." Harry finished, looking at Draco. One small tear glistened on his cheek.

Draco moved closer to Harry and tentatively put his arm around the other man's shoulders comfortingly. He bought his other hand up to Harry's cheek and wiped away the tear. Then he hugged the other man closer and they sat in silence for a while.

As he held him he thought about everything that Harry had said. He pictured the images. He thought about the electricity he could feel flowing through him as he touched the other man. He wanted to say that it was okay, it was over now and Harry would never have to worry about that kind of stuff again. He wanted to tell him that he was here and would protect him.  
>That was when he realised the truth. His protective feelings, his curiosity into Harry's love life, his jealousy when Fredrick was flirting with the other man. He was falling for him. He was falling hard.<p>

Looking into Harry's emerald eyes again, he wished that this secret person that Harry liked, the one that Ron and Hermione kept talking about, was _him_.

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><p><strong>AN: And now there's a little bit of Draco-might-like-Harry going on! =O<br>Who would have guessed it?  
>More will come soon ^.^<br>XoXoX  
>Kuroibara Kitty<br>**


	14. Almost

**AN: A new chapter for my lovelies ^.^ Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, I love it every time someone can input on my work ^.^  
>XoXoX<br>Kuroibara Kitty**

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><p><span>Chapter 14<span>

**Almost**

Draco had disappeared into his study that afternoon and didn't realise how late it was getting until it was already dark. He hadn't been doing much except lounging back in his armchair and thinking, but he was tired. It wasn't a physical weariness, more a mental lack of energy. That was why he was unprepared when his window flew open and a cloaked figure came crashing in to his life.

As soon as he saw the mask he realised it was another former Death Eater. He distracted himself by wondering why on earth this person would have bothered to keep the silly uniform all these years before being bought back to earth by a curse that flew past him. He hadn't ducked, the Death Eater just had bad aim.

"Stupefy." A male voice yelled again, a red light flashing past Draco's face.

"Oh come on, you've got to be able to do better than that." The blonde goaded. He heard a small growl emit from beneath the mask and smirked.

"Locomotor mortis." The Death Eater snarled.

"Protego." Draco said calmly, blocking the curse.

"You're a traitor and a wimp, Malfoy. You deserve punishment for ruining the Dark Lord's plans. Petrificus totalus!" This spell flew off to the side, hitting the curtain rod that hung behind Draco. It jumped off the wall, crashing to the ground with a loud clang as Draco dodged the material that came down with it.

"Oh, sod off you silly man." Draco answered. "That was years ago. Surely you've moved on to another wannabe ruler of the world. I would have thought you'd have at least updated your wardrobe. I guess I was wrong when I figured only people being _made_ to wear that silly mask would do so." The other man threw another curse his way, but he dodged it.

"I mean, really? You think your 'Dark Lord' was so great?" The blonde continued with a roll of his platinum eyes. "He was defeated, so obviously he wasn't the best wizard in this world. Heck, he was taken down by a teenage boy. He was the wimp, you twit. I can't believe you people haven't given up your dreams of destroying the world."

"Silenco!" The Death Eater yelled, not bothering to reply to a single thing that Draco had said. Having missed again, the man quickly sent a stinging hex after it. The hex was bounced back as Draco blocked it.

"Harry Potter beat your 'Dark Lord'." Draco said with a smile. "He killed every part of his soul separately and then killed the... well, I wouldn't really call it a man. He killed the _thing _himself. Yep, all on his lonesome. Voldemort was nothing... In fact, all existing dark magic is nothing compared to Harry Potter."

The blonde had lost track of goading the other man and instead had trailed off into his own thoughts. The minor distraction almost caused him to get hit by another curse, but he moved just in time. Whatever it was flew past him and caused a singe on the wall.

"Hey, I like this room!" Draco said, exasperated. He didn't get a chance to continue, though. The door to the room crashed open, interrupting him.

"Stupefy!" A familiar voice called, and the unsuspecting Death Eater fell to the ground unconcious. An ebony haired Harry Potter entered the room, inspecting his handiwork.

"Hey... I was handling that." Draco said, pouting at the other man.

"You were taking too long." Harry answered, sending a cheeky smile in return. "By the way, I liked that minorly off-topic rant about how nothing compares to me." He winked.

"I... I was just... I was trying to make him angry! Distracting him so that he would mess up!" Draco said quickly. "Why were you listening in anyway?"

"Yeah, he definitely seems to have messed this place up." Harry replied, ignoring the question as he looked around the room.

"Mmm, easy stuff to fix." The blonde shrugged. "What are you doing up here?"

"Dinner is ready and I told the house elves that I would fetch you." Harry answered. "I didn't expect to find you dueling a Death Eater when I got up here. How come you didn't have that handled by the way? You could have taken him easily."

"I was distracted." Draco replied, scratching the back of his head embarrassedly.

"I can tell." Harry teased, moving toward the other man. They weren't very far apart, although neither of them were dure when exactly they had moved so close together.

"Thank you for finishing him off for me." Draco smiled at Harry, also moving a little closer. Neither thought about how intimate their proximity had become. They just looked into each others eyes, feeling a pull towards each other.

"No worries. I'm always here if you need my help." Harry answered, his face only centimeters from the blonde's.

"That's comforting to know." Draco said quietly. He could feel the other man's breath tickling his cheek softly and felt the urge to move just that tiny bit further forward. He took a deep breath and released it slowly, watching Harry's eyes flicker as he did so.

A sound was heard in the hall, breaking the spell. Both men jumped back as if only just realising how close they had been. Draco was shocked and saw from Harry's wide green eyes that the other man felt the same. He released a small cough.

"Harry?" Ron's voice was heard from the hall.

"I'm not really hungry." Draco said, answering Harry's unasked question. "I'm going to take this guy to the Ministry. You should head down to dinner."

Harry nodded in answer, turning and walking out the door. Draco watched him go and sighed, wondering what had just happened. A few minutes later he was gone, taking the Death Eater to be arrested.

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><p><strong>AN: Soooo close O.O<br>I'm just teasing you now, aren't I? ^.^  
>Don't worry, there is only eighteen chapters planned for this story... true actions will come into play soon ^.^<br>XoXoX  
>Kuroibara Kitty<br>**


	15. Discoveries

**AN: I've written the whole story bar the epilogue now...  
>I'll update regularly, of course, but I'm feeling kind of sad that it's going to end .<br>Oh well, here is more ^.^  
>XoXoX<br>Kuroibara Kitty**

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><p><span>Chapter 15<span>

**Discoveries**

Another week down and the house was quite far along in its recovery. The remaining landscapes had come, so all the frames in the entrance hall had been filled and the residents had moved back into their own portraits. The other frames, in the halls of the main house, were yet to be filled but their landscapes had already been ordered. Most of the furniture had been replaced or repaired as well. It was looking good.

Draco had hardly focussed on the progress they'd been making, though. Instead he spent most of his time wrapped up in his own thoughts. He remembered what had happened in his study and how close he'd gotten to Harry, wondering if the other man had been meaning to take it further. At the same he worried that maybe it had meant nothing.

What if Harry hadn't wanted to do anything? Maybe their closeness had just been something in Draco's head. Maybe he'd just imagined the pull he'd felt towards the other man or maybe he'd been the only one to feel it. He'd almost convinced himself that it had just been a chance moment and that Harry didn't want him at all.

He knew that there was someone, somewhere, that Harry really liked. Perhaps even loved. But he'd thought about it so much he'd pretty much convinced himself that it couldn't be him. It was still hard to process the thought that he even wanted it to be him.

Having abandoned the repairs for the afternoon, the blonde found himself up in his father's old study. This is the one room he'd visited constantly over the years since the final battle, but it had never changed. He was unsure if they'd purposely destroyed this room in particular, but the Death Eaters had done a good job in making sure that nothing useful had remained.

Although he'd searched it plenty of times, he decided to give the room another look over whilst he was there. There was no obvious places that his father could have hidden his journal, but if it had been obvious there'd have been no point in hiding it there in the first place. His father had definitely done a good job of keeping his private possessions away from prying eyes. A knock on the door interrupted his search.

"Hey." Ron Weasley greeted as he stepped through the open doorway.

"Hey." Draco replied.

"What are you looking for?" Ron asked.

"I'm just having another look for my father's journal. I'm sure he would have kept it in here. I just don't know if it would still be here." Draco answered calmly, resuming his search.

"Would you like help?" The red-head inquired as he wandered through the room.

"If you want to. Are you bored now that everyone's resting?" Draco asked.

"Pretty much. I want to keep myself busy. I thought it'd be nice to have a chat with you as well." Ron answered, a partial grimace on his face.

"Certainly seems you think it'd be 'nice'." Draco replied with a poke of his tongue.

"Haha, I'm just kidding. You're not _that _horrible." Ron admitted.

"Ooh, not _that _horrible. Makes me feel so much better." Draco laughed. Ron laughed with him and shook his head.

"Hey, that's pretty good for you, Malfoy." It was the red-head's turn to poke his tongue out at the other man.

"Come now, Ron. My name is Draco. You are allowed to use it." Draco smiled.

"What if I don't wanna?" Ron scrunched up his face in mock disgust.

"You have no choice in the matter." Draco concluded.

"Fiiine, Draco. I suppose it hasn't been too bad getting along with you while I've been here and I guess you're not as horrible as you were in school." Ron told him with a small smile.

"I'm glad you think so, Ron. Considering we're talking... I've been wondering... You remember that first night you guys were here when Hermione came crashing in to yell at you?" He waited for a confirming nod before continuing. "Yeah, what was that about exactly? You don't have to tell me, I've just been curious." There was a long pause after he finished.

"Well..." Ron finally began. "The main thing behind it was my rudeness to you." He explained with a shrug. "She'd heard from the others that I was being immature and that I was thinking of walking off the job."

"You were?" Draco asked, a little shocked.

"Yeah... Sorry about that, by the way." Ron looked down, embarrassed.

"Ha, no worries. I guess it was silly of me to assume that you guys all came here willingly. I mean, I knew you weren't too happy about helping me... I just never considered that you must have absolutely hated it here." Draco sighed.

"Nah, don't worry about it. This place has grown on me." Ron assured him.

"Yeah?" Draco was again surprised.

"You can't help but get attached to a place you've help build... or rebuild in this case. Besides, the manor and the grounds are gorgeous. The inhabitants aren't too bad as well. Of course I don't mind it here now." Ron smiled at him reassuringly.

Draco leant against the wall he was next to as he considered what to say in reply to the other man. His thought process was interrupted by a clicking noise as his shoulder pressed in a section of the patterened wall. He jumped away and turned to look at the wall as Ron moved closer to see what had happened.

In the groove left, a small dent could be seen on the side. Draco stuck his finger into the dent in order to pull, to see if it would move, but a whirring noise began before he could try. A hidden panel in the wall began to shift and the two men stepped back to avoid being hit.

"Welcome, Master Draco Malfoy." A hollow voice said. Neither man paid any attention to it as the panel stopped moving and what it had covered was revealed.

A small pile of diaries lay there, alongside a gorgeous silver dagger and a few other treasures. Draco knew they had finally found his father's journals and quickly grabbed the top book off of the pile, disregarding the other stuff for now. He flipped through the pages quickly, skimming over everything.

Having not found what he wanted in the first book, he swapped it for the next and again began flipping through the pages. About halfway through the book he found exactly what he was looking for. A curse devised by Voldemort and his father which would turn the victim's skin inside out. Beneath it, a single word was written. The counter-curse that would save Hagrid.

The blonde turned to his companion in silence, pointing at the word. Ron knew exactly what he had found and took the book without a sound. He conjured a piece of paper and muttered a word that caused his wand to give off ink from the tip temporarily. After quickly writing down the instructions for the counter-curse, he handed back the book and turned to leave.

"I'm taking this to Dumbledore." He said over his shoulders. "Do me a favour and make sure that no one else ever finds that curse."

With that he was gone and Draco was left behind with his father's treasures. The blonde sighed and turned to look at the hidden compartment in the wall. He took out the rest of the books before closing it up and heading to his bedroom to read.

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><p><strong>AN: What a wonderful find ^.^<br>Two more chapters before the epilogue, my lovelies ^.^  
>XoXoX<br>Kuroibara Kitty**


	16. Good News, Secrets Revealed

**AN: Hey, guys. I'm so sorry for the rather extended break between chapters O.O I feel horrible. I didn't even realise how long it had been -_-'' But I'm here~  
>Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter. To be honest, I can't actually remember what I wrote in it O.O Buuut, I hope it's good ^.^''<br>XoXoX  
>Kuroibara Kitty <strong>

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><p><span>Chapter 16<span>

**Good News, Secrets Revealed**

The group were sitting down to dinner that night when they were interrupted by a house elf reporting that there were people at the door. Draco excused himself from the group, heading out of the room and down the hall. He expected it to be Ron, who hadn't come back since he left to give Dumbledore the counter-curse for Hagrid. He didn't expect Ron's companion, though.

"Good evening, Draco." Hermione said with a smile as she entered his house.

"Hello, Hermione." Draco replied. "Welcome."

"Thank you. Ron showed me some of what you guys have been doing with the main part of the house before we headed over here. I must say, it looks great." She said excitedly.

"I'm glad you like it. Everyone has been working hard." Draco answered with pride. Ron stepped into the house after her, grasping Draco's hand firmly as a greeting before closing the door behind him.

"Welcome back." Draco greeted him. "We're just sitting down to dinner, won't you come and join us?" He didn't wait for an answer before turning and heading down the hall. The two followed behind him anyway.

As they entered the dining hall, everyone stood to say hello. Harry hugged Hermione as soon as he saw her and Draco realised that he probably hadn't heard from the woman for a couple of weeks. Once they were finished, everyone settled down to dinner again. Two extra places had already been set, Draco noticed.

"So, Ron, where did you run off too?" Dean asked curiously.

"Draco didn't tell you?" Ron said, throwing a questioning look at the blonde. "This afternoon we found the counter-curse for the spell that hit Hagrid." At this, most of the people around the table gasped.

"How is he?" Harry asked quickly.

"He's fine." Ron answered with a smile. "Dumbledore got the mediwizards and witches at Saint Mungo's to look at the counter-curse and they performed it straight away. Hagrid is the same old Hagrid now. They're keeping him for a few more weeks, just to make sure that the reverse effect stays in place. But he's fine."

"That's marvelous." Luna said with an excited clap of her hands.

"Brilliant." Dean agreed.

They continued talking happily throughout the meal. Hermione didn't even ask to see any of the house elves. A decade ago, none of these people would have believed anyone who would have predicted this happening. After dinner the group spilt up, most heading to their rooms.

"Harry." Hermione said as her and Ron reached the door.

"Yeah?" Harry asked. He and Draco had been the only two not to have left the dining table yet. Draco had wondered if that was on purpose.

"I was hoping you, Ron and I could step outside and chat." She said.

"Sure, 'Mione." Harry answered with a sigh.

As they left, Harry glanced over his shoulder at the blonde and smiled. Draco waited a minute before following. He glanced out into the hall to make sure the trio had gone outside before sneaking down to the front door. He opened it a slight gap to listen outside.

No voices could be heard, so he ducked out into the courtyard. He wandered along the garden path before he saw a small light not too far away. The light disappeared into the entrance of a garden and he quickly followed it. He began to hear voices as he entered the 'Jungle' garden. The sound of the others moving through the trees was loud enough to cover his own noises as he hid a few metres away from his three stalkees.

"... mean, he's really not that bad... much as I hate to admit it." He heard Ron saying.

"Of course he's not." Harry replied, a little grumpily.

"But you still have to be careful, Harry." Hermione's voice cut in. "I know you've been mooning over the man for a good number of years, but that doesn't mean you should just jump into a relationship now."

"Look, Hermione, I know what I'm- wait... there is no relationship!" Harry replied, exasperated. "Draco doesn't even know that I like him, okay? I highly doubt that he likes me- would you please put out the light on your wand, it's hurting my eyes."

"Nox." Hermione muttered. "I know, Harry. I just don't want to see you get hurt."

"I'm fine. I'm a big boy, 'Mione, I know how to look after myself." Harry said.

"Okay, mate." Ron said. "Well... You have my blessing. It's taken me a while to see that you were telling the truth, but he's okay and..."

Draco didn't hear any more of the conversation as he quickly spun around and left the garden. He hurried down the path, passing other entrances, until he again reached the courtyard. Unsure of whether he wanted to go inside or not, he hesitated at the door. His moment of consideration lost him his head start, as Harry walked up behind him.

"Hey." Harry said.

"Uhh... Hi, Harry." Draco replied nervously.

"Have you been wandering around the gardens or... did you just decide to come and hang out with the front door?" Harry asked, suspicion evident in his voice.

"Oh... I... just... I wanted to come sit outside here for a little while. Was feeling quite warm inside and I thoguht I could do with some fresh air." Draco answered.

"You've never been a good one for lying. Besides, I followed your shadow here from the 'Jungle' garden. What exactly did you overhear?" Harry raised his eyebrows at the other man, waiting for an answer.

"Okay, I'm sorry." Draco said, minorly ashamed and embarrassed. "But I swear, all I heard was Ron telling you that he's giving his blessing for something. I don't know what it was about and I hurried away before I heard any more as I realised it was a private conversation."

He wasn't sure why he was lying. Half of him wanted to tell Harry that he'd heard everything and that he liked him too. But the other half was too scared to do so. This was the one thing he'd been wishing for since he and Harry had sat in the entrance hall, Draco's arm wrapped around the other man for comfort. He couldn't do it, though.

"Okay." Harry replied simply.

"Okay?" Draco questioned.

"Yeah. I believe you. I'm glad you were nice enough to walk away once you realised it was something that you shouldn't be overhearing. Now, I'm going to head to bed." Harry said.

"Let me walk you up to your room." Draco offered, opening the door and letting the other man pass through before him. Harry smiled in answer and the two headed up to bed.

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><p><strong>AN: I hope you liked it ^.^ Anyway, the next chapter shouldn't be far off, my lovelies. I won't make any promises though = Haha ^.^''  
>XoXoX<br>Kuroibara Kitty **


	17. At Last

**AN: Hey, guys :) I was going to put this up this morning, but I was too lazy. Here it is though!  
>This is the last chapter, with the epilogue left to go :) I hope you enjoy it, it's shorter than the rest of my chapters but I did my best :)<br>XoXoX  
>KuroibaraKitty<strong>

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><p><span>Chapter 17<span>

**At Last**

Finally, the time had come. The manor had been restored. Sure, some furniture was yet to be replaced, as were many of the paintings. However, the aurors were leaving and the rest of the work would be left for Draco to complete himself.

It was late afternoon and the five aurors, Draco and his mother were out in the courtyard. Narcissa said her goodbyes quickly, hugging all of them before disappearing back into the house and, probably, her sitting room. Draco took a little longer.

He was sad to see the group go. Having gotten used to living with a large group of people, the house was going to feel so much emptier once they were gone. Especially now that he and his mother were going to be moving out of the eastern wing and into the main house. He almost invited everyone to live with him, but he controlled his impulses.

"Bye, Draco. We'll have to catch up again." Blaise said as he shook the blonde's hand.

"Definitely." He agreed with a smile.

"Yeah. Maybe if you get a boyfriend we can go on a double date." Luna said brightly as she came up and hugged him, Dean beside her. Draco patted her back and nodded in answer.

"Haha, Hermione and me could join in." Ron added politely.

"I'm sure you'd love that." Draco said, poking out his tongue.

"Like I said, you're not _that_ bad." Ron replied cheekily.

At last Draco turned to Harry. He'd not been able to get the conversation he'd overheard out of his head since the night he'd eavesdropped on that private conversation. He'd been unable to look into those bright green eyes since, thinking the other man would see the truth. He knew that he was the one that Harry Potter wanted. He wanted Harry Potter too.

He'd called himself a coward a hundred times. He wanted to say something, he wanted to make a move and claim Harry Potter as his own. However, he couldn't make himself do it. Not even now, when the man was about to leave forever. He had to say something.

"Thank you." Draco said, chickening out. "It's been nice having you guys here. I hope we don't completely lose contact again." He averted his eyes from staring emeralds.

"Yeah." Harry agreed simply. He sounded nervous and he stepped forward. Draco wasn't expecting it, but Harry hugged him.

Not long after that the aurors were gone. Draco went back into the house, to his mother's sitting room. The only thing he could think of was Harry though. He hated himself. Why couldn't he have just said something? _Coward_, he called himself again.

"Draco." Narcissa sighed. "I'm sick of your sulking."

"What are you talking about, mother?" Draco said, braking away from his thoughts.

"I know what's going on. I know that you have a crush on that boy, and I know that he wants you back. Why are you sitting here?" Narcissa questioned.

"I… I don't know who or what you're talking about." Draco said slowly.

"Harry Potter." Narcissa replied simply.

"What about him?" Draco asked.

"Draco, don't be silly. You want him and you deserve him. I grant my blessing, he is a very nice young man. Over the past few weeks I have seen you growing closer and I know that you are attracted to him. Please, go and get him now, before it is too late. I don't want to have to deal with your morose sulking anymore." Narcissa motioned towards the door. Draco gazed at her, jaw drooping slightly.

"You're right." He finally said, nerves ablaze. He shut his mouth and stood up before turning his back and leaving the room. He hurried down the hall and burst out of the front door.

_Thump_! A warm body blocked his path.

"Harry?" Draco asked, surprised.

"I... ahh... I... Oh, I wasn't ready yet. Why did you come running outside?" Harry blushed.

"Not ready for what? And... Well... I was looking for you..." Draco replied.

"For me?" Harry questioned.

"Yeah, for you." Draco said, his courage building as he gazed at the other man. He had to do this and he had to do it now.

"Harry, I'm sorry, but when I followed you the other night, I listened to most of your conversation. I lied afterwards, but really I heard almost everything. I overheard something especially important. That I am the man you've wanted all these years." Harry's eyes widened.

"Before you say anything," Draco continued quickly, "I-I-I... I like you too. I mean, I like you a lot. Harry, I'm sorry for not saying this sooner and I really wish I had, but... I want you to be mine. I have for a while now... Harry Potter... will you go out with me? To dinner maybe? Tonight?" He finished, a little out-of-breath and frozen solid by his nerves.

Harry smiled at him.

"Yes, Draco Malfoy. I would love to go out with you. I'm free tonight, and dinner would be... well, it would be absolutely great." Harry replied warmly.

Looking at that smile and hearing those words caused Draco's own face to break out into a huge grin. Observing Harry's pink lips, he licked his own. The distance between them shortened, although both were unsure who was moving closer to whom. Their lips met as the gap between them disappeared.

Harry's lips were soft, Draco realised as their mouths moved together. He tasted really nice. A warm feeling flooded his insides and he smiled into the kiss.

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><p><strong>AN: I'll put up the epilogue tomorrow :) Please review 3<br>XoXoX  
>KuroibaraKitty <strong>


	18. Epilogue

**AN: Here it is... The epilogue :) Short and sweet~ Enjoy 3  
>XoXoX<br>Kuroibara Kitty**

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><p><span>Chapter 18<span>

**Epilogue**

"Come on." Draco said, aggravated. "We're going to be late."

The blonde was standing in front of a mirror hung in his room. He skillfully looped a tie around his neck, slender hands knotting it perfectly. He'd grown rather fond of muggle formal wear during the year just passed, especially the tie.

"Oh, shush Draco." A masculine voice called from the ensuite.

"I will not shu-" Draco started.

"We have plenty of time!" Harry cut him off, stepping out of the bathroom in nothing but a black towel wrapped around his waist. Draco couldn't help but to admire his boyfriend from head to toe. The man was gorgeous. His lapse in concentration didn't last long, however.

"I'm going to see how mother is going. We'll meet you in the entrance hall. Please hurry, handsome." Draco said with a slight sigh.

"I'll try." Came the answer as the blonde left the room. He hurried down a couple of staircases to the first level of the house. Despite the manor being back to it's previous glory, Narcissa had wanted to stay on the first floor.

"Mother." Draco called as he knocked lightly on her bedroom door. The door didn't take long to open and Narcissa stepped out in an elegant green dress. It had a long, loose skirt, reaching her ankles, with fitted full-length sleeves down to her wrists. The front was high up to her neck but the back dropped away, scooping a little lower than rib-level.

"I'm ready, darling. Where's Harry?" She asked with a smile.

"Late, as usual. I told him we'd meet him in the entrance hall. I really don't want to miss any part of the wedding." Draco grumbled. His mother shook her head with a smile.

"Let us go to the hall then." She replied.

As they entered the entrance hall, a smile grew on the blonde man's face. Harry was standing by the fireplace dressed in a suit that matched Draco's. No words were said as the raven-haired man threw something into the fire and the flames blazed green. The three stepped in together, being whisked away as one.

They stepped gracefully out as they reached their destination. It was a beautiful old church, filled with people. Harry headed for the familiar face of his best friend as soon as he spotted him. Draco made sure Narcissa was okay before following him.

"Isn't this exciting?" Hermione said with a smile. "Look at you two! All dressed up in your suits. You know, before you two got together I'm sure I would never have seen you in a suit, Draco. You guys look wonderful."

"Thanks, 'Mione." Harry said, scratching his head. A slight blush crept up his cheeks and Draco quickly slid his arm around Harry's waist, pulling him close. He kissed Harry's cheek softly, smiling at the other man.

They were interupted as music started from a piano at the front of the room. Everyone in the church began taking their seats. Narcissa joined the group as they moved to the front.

A man walked up to stand beside the priest standing on the podium at the front. Draco and Harry moved up beside him as groomsmen whilst Ron took his place as best man. Hermione joined the girls on the other side as the maid of honour.

The music changed and every person in the hall turned to look at the entrance. The doors opened slowly and out walked a flower girl, throwing petals before her. No one really noticed, though. Their eyes were fixated on the glowing bride.

Luna walked down the aisle beside her father, her eyes seeing nothing but Dean.

~Fin~

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><p><strong>AN: It feels nice to have finished my first chaptered story ^.^ Well, besides A Fine Frenzy, but that's a little different to this and in serious need of re-writing :) I hope you liked it, please review ^.^ And if you liked this, please read my one-shot "I Want... To Be Near You" :) It's fluffy and stuff~<strong>  
><strong>XoXoX<strong>  
><strong>Kuroibara Kitty<strong>


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